


Question Marks and First Kisses

by bracelitperson



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Drunk Shenanigans, Edward Nygma’s Birthday, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Ivy Pepper from season 3 because she’s baby, Jealous Edward Nygma, M/M, Mentions of The Riddler, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23443309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bracelitperson/pseuds/bracelitperson
Summary: Ed has a talk with Ivy while waiting for his birthday celebration with Oswald and he realizes some things.
Relationships: Edward Nygma & Ivy Pepper, Oswald Cobblepot & Ivy Pepper, Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Comments: 8
Kudos: 72





	Question Marks and First Kisses

Ed let out a breath as the clock that had been drifting in and out of his vision for the past half-hour struck midnight. He twirled the colorful umbrella straw sticking out of his grasshopper halfheartedly and took a small celebratory sip.

He wasn’t necessarily sad about his birthday, but he wasn’t terribly thrilled. It had been a minute since his last public debacle and he was low on energy. He couldn’t think of really anything he wanted to do except drink and hang out of with Oswald. He didn’t know what the Penguin had planned for his birthday, but he hopes it wasn’t a party. Oswald was known for his dramatics. He and Ed hadn’t hung out for no reason in a while. 

They never have a chance to talk. Always planning the next heist or discussing business. In truthfulness, Ed misses his friend. He was waiting at the bar for the Penguin to show and it had been a little more than an hour since they agreed to meet. 

Oswald was rarely late and Ed was beginning to get a little worried. Plus, he knew he probably looked incredibly sad just sitting here alone, sulking into his grasshopper. 

He cast a glance at the redhead that decided to sit right next to him in an open bar and sighed before downing the rest of his alcohol.

He waved the bartender over for another and the guy came over. The woman was wearing green, which kind of made Ed cheer up seeing he’s not the only one with an obsession with the color, and had her long red hair flowing down her back. She smiled happily at the bartender. 

“Can I have a juice box, Max?” The guy nodded enthusiastically and snapped his fingers together, setting the mixer with Ed’s next drink in it on the counter.

“Sure thing, Ivy.” Ed quirked his head to the side.  _ Ivy_... he knows that name. The bartender comes back with a dazed look in his eyes as he sets a juice box in front of Ivy and finishes shaking up Ed’s drink and pouring it in his used martini glass. 

He barely glances at Ed as he does, but Ed doesn’t really notice. The redhead- Ivy breaks the plastic on the attached straw and plunges it into the juice box before taking a long sip. Ed snaps his fingers, maybe a little too loudly and suddenly, and Ivy spills some juice onto the counter. 

She huffs before the bartender comes over hurriedly, sputtering apologies and wiping the counter in front of her down. She glances at Ed and recognition glosses across her face. 

“Ivy Pepper.” She nods her head slowly as she takes a sip from her juice box. 

“Nygma? What are you doing here?”

”Waiting for Oswald.” She makes a relieved sound and sips at her juice box.

“Really thought you were gonna drop a riddle.” Ed rolls his eyes and checks the clock again. 

“You guys got a date or something?” Ed’s mind does a record skip as his hands stop fiddling with the glass.

“What?” Ivy gives him a strange look and takes another wayward sip. 

“A date? You do know what a date is, don’t you?” Ed nods and waves his hand around wildly. 

“Yes, I know what a date is. Me and Oswald are  _ not _ dating.” Ivy raises her eyebrows and smiles. 

“Yeah, okay.” Ed makes a noise of disbelief and turns fully towards her.  _ What would make her think we’re dating? _

“What makes you think we’re dating? Because we’re definitely not. What made you even assume that?” She scoffs around her bendy straw. 

“How long you got?” He’s rendered speechless and Ivy just keeps smirking around her juice box and he considers strangling her or pulling out the pistol hooked into the inner pocket of his green trench coat, but luckily Oswald comes hobbling up with a smile and his penguin cane and Ed takes a deep breath. 

“So sorry I’m late, Ed. Some idiot had the gall to try and play me and well,” The Penguin quirks his head with an amused smile, “let’s just say he didn’t get really far.” Ed gives him a smile before hopping off the barstool and laying down money for his drinks.

“It’s alright. You’ll have to make it up to me though, after all, it is my birthday.” Oswald gives him a bright smile and taps his forearm lightly.

“I didn’t forget, Ed. Big plans ahead for tonight, birthday boy.” Ivy takes a sip from her juice box with an empty noise.

“Have fun you two.” She winks at Ed before waving the smitten bartender down again. Ed scowls back at her. 

“We will, Ivy.” Oswald gives her a small smile and she smiles back. Ed has forgotten about their little friendship. He ignores the small twinge of jealousy he feels in his stomach.

She sticks her tongue out at Ed when Oswald starts walking away, dragging at his arm to follow and Ed, being the 5-year old that he is, does the same. She laughs and waves, turning back to the bartender and her second juice box of the night. Ed scoffs and rolls his eyes, turning his attention back to Oswald. 

“What are these big plans you speak of?” Oswald gives him a soft smile as he opens the door for him and walks him out next to the curb where his car had been idling. 

“Oh, we’re just gonna go back to the house and drink wine.” Ed sighs in relief and tucks himself into the backseat when the driver opens the door. _He always knows what I want_. Oswald plops down next to him and turns to face him, shoving his cane onto the open seat.

“Thank god. I thought you had some elaborate party planned.” Oswald gives him a smile and snaps loudly at the driver to get going. Ed smiles back and they spend the next 20 minutes it takes to get back to the house in light conversation.

— —

After 1 and a half bottles of wine and bubbling laughs about the past, Oswald and Ed had snuggled up on the couch by the lit fire swaddled in a wool blanket. 

They had both ditched their purple and green suits when they got home and were now in pajamas. 

Oswald rolled his eyes when he saw Ed’s black sweats had green question marks. Ed decided not to comment when he saw Oswald’s socks had penguins on them. Oswald leaves for a minute and comes back with a little gift-wrapped box with a green ribbon. 

“Happy Birthday, Ed.” Ed beams at him and delicately takes the box from Oswald. He unties the ribbon and opens the box, laying the top on the coffee table. Ed feels his eyes soften as he looks at the green question mark cuff links sitting upon silk bedding. He picks one up softly and traces his finger along the mark. 

“It’s pure silver. I heard you saying you needed some new ones the other day and had them molded specially for you. Do you like them?” Ed turns to him with a soft smile, placing the cuff link back in the box next to its twin. 

“They’re beautiful, Os. I love them.” Oswald smiles back at him happily.

“I’m glad.” Ed places the box onto the coffee table and takes another sip of his wine. He can’t stop thinking about what Ivy said at the bar. Oswald had been in love with him before, but that was before. It’s not the he would be opposed to dating Oswald. He shakes his head when he starts to think about it too much. Him and Oswald together? Absurd. He hears a distant laughing his head. 

“What’s on your mind, Ed?” Ed snaps out of his thoughts and turns to Oswald who has a thoughtful look on his face.  _ There’s no way he knew what we’re- I’m thinking. _

“Just something Ivy said to me at the bar,” Ed says before he can stop himself. Oswald rolls his eyes. 

“She doesn’t really have a filter. What did she say?” Ed laughs nervously and sets his wine glass back on the coffee table.

“That she thinks we’re dating.” Oswald makes a face that Ed can’t decipher and takes a large gulp of his wine. 

“Oswald, you didn’t tell her that we are, did you?” The Penguin shakes his head and gives him a small grin. 

“No. I don’t see her as much as I like to these days anyway.”

“Then why did she think we are? I understand we are very close friends and we do hang out a lot and most of our stunts we plan together and we live together and have a huge history-“

“Ed, you’re rambling.” Oswald puts a hand out to stop him.

“Does it bother you?” Ed feels his face heat up a little and he pushes his glasses further up his nose and fiddles with the edges. 

“N-no.” Oswald gives him a look.

“Well, it seems like it does.” Ed lets out a breath and ignores his dumb face betraying how flustered he is. 

“No, it’s not that-“ Oswald puts a hand on his face to shut him up and he does. Ed doesn’t know what’s happening, but all he knows is Oswald looks so pretty in the firelight with his green eyes and soft black hair and cute purple pajamas that he doesn’t even question when Oswald kisses him and he just kisses back, letting his hand fall against the Penguin’s cheek. After a moment they pull back and Oswald gives him a small, proud smirk when Ed doesn’t say anything for a solid minute. 

“Yeah, uh,” Ed adjusts his glasses on his face to try and cover up his blush, “it definitely doesn’t bother me.” Oswald laughs and drinks the rest of his wine. 

“I think this calls for more wine.” Ed nods enthusiastically and Oswald refills their glasses. They both end up in Oswald’s king-sized bed, half-naked wrapped in his silk sheets. 

Ed can’t help the smile that spreads across his face when he wakes up next to Oswald asleep on his chest, skin aglow with the morning sun beaming in from the half-opened curtains. He kisses the top of his head softly and wraps his arm tighter around him.  _ Best birthday ever. _

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time writing them but i think it turned out alright also happy late birthday to my favorite dumb green whore baby ily


End file.
